Numerous attempts have been made to develop a treatment composition that provides protection of surfaces by repelling water and oil based soils from the surface. Fluoropolymers, such as those used in Scotchguard® from 3M, have become well established as soil-repellant molecules. However, fluoropolymers are not preferred due to environmental, health and safety concerns, such as the potential and possibility of persistent bioaccumulation and toxicity.
Amino-modified silicone microemulsions that contain an amino-modified silicone and a high concentration of both ethylene glycol monoalkyl ether and nonionic surfactant, e.g., polyoxyalkylene branched decyl ether, are known and generally described as transparent in appearance and having a small particle diameter. However, these compositions have the challenge of delivering maximum hydrophobicity to a surface since they incorporate significant amounts of nonionic surfactant to obtain desired stability and particle sizes.
Unfortunately, to date, the attempts at non-fluorpolymer protection of surfaces continue to demonstrate disadvantages, including low efficiency, difficulty in achieving the desired benefits at affordable cost and in a preferred format, processing and formulation challenges, and product instability. A continued need exists for a non-fluoropolymer technology that delivers depositable benefits to surfaces, such as water and oily soil repellency, in a convenient and stable form and at a high efficiency.
Even attempts at using non-fluoropolymer technologies have been less than successful due to a general failure to recognize the importance of the order of addition of materials during the making process as well as the processing conditions themselves, in addition to optimization of the solvent system, addition of adjunct ingredients that can enhance performance, and equally the removal of adjuncts that can hinder performance. Applicants have found that by optimizing the order of addition of the raw materials during emulsion making and finished product formulation using said emulsion, the overall stability of the emulsion and finished product can be greatly enhanced. Furthermore, the deposition efficiency and overall soil repellency benefit can be maximized, whilst minimizing the potential for negative results often seen with silicone-containing compositions, such as staining or spotting of fabrics, laundry machine residues, and product discoloration.